The Amulet of Samarkand: The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1

Nathaniel is eleven-years-old and a magician's apprentice, learning the traditional art of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decides to speed up his education, teaching himself spells far beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him.

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase, Book 1

A sinister problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see - and eradicate - these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business.

The Blackthorn Key

London, 1665. Fourteen-year-old Christopher Rowe is apprenticed to master apothecary Benedict Blackthorn. In Blackthorn's shop, Christopher learns the delicate secrets of transforming simple ingredients into powerful medicines, potions and weapons. His beloved master guides him with a firm, steady hand - instilling him with confidence and independence that prove increasingly vital as Christopher learns of a mysterious cult preying on the most learned men in London.

Elizabeth's Legacy: Royal Institute of Magic, Book 1

Two years after his parents' sudden disappearance, Ben Greenwood stumbles upon a cryptic letter that could shed some light on their whereabouts. But before he can track them down, he'll need to find the mysterious organization that sent the letter: The Royal Institute of Magic. To succeed, Ben will have to navigate a land filled with fantastic creatures and spellshooters, where magic can be bought and sold, to unravel an ancient family secret that could hold the key to defeating an evil the institute has been fighting for the last 500 years.

Sufficiently Advanced Magic: Arcane Ascension, Book 1

Five years ago Corin Cadence's brother entered the Serpent Spire - a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire's trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire's goddess. He never returned. Now it's Corin's turn. He's headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.

Heroes of the Valley

Halli Sveinsson has grown up in the House of Svein, listening to the legends of the heroes as all his forefathers did. His is a peaceful society where the violence of the past has been outlawed and disputes are settled by the Council. But young Halli has never quite seemed to fit in with the others. For starters, he was not at all handsome or tall, like his attractive blond siblings. He's stumpy and swarthy, with a quick mind and aptitude for getting in trouble.

Jim &#34;The Impatient&#34; says:"She had a voice that loosened earwax."

Sabriel

Ever since she was a tiny child, Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom, away from the random power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won't stay dead. But now her father, the Mage Abhorsen, is missing, and to find him Sabriel must cross back into that world.

Dragonwatch

In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens but prisons, and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies....

Nice Dragons Finish Last: Heartstrikers, Book 1

Audie Award, Fantasy, 2016. As the smallest dragon in the Heartstriker clan, Julius survives by a simple code: keep quiet, don't cause trouble, and stay out of the way of bigger dragons. But this meek behavior doesn't fly in a family of ambitious magical predators, and his mother, Bethesda the Heartstriker, has finally reached the end of her patience.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

The Sword of Summer: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book One

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. One day he's tracked down by an uncle he barely knows - a man his mother claimed was dangerous. Uncle Randolph tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

Fablehaven, Book 1

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite... Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven.

Once Upon a Time in the North

When Lee and his daemon, Hester, land in the Arctic town of Novy Odense, they quickly become embroiled in an out-and-out political brawl. So when Iorek offers to help, Lee is only too happy to accept. Together they take on a slippery politician, his monstrous gas-powered gun and a murderous gunfighter. And so begins a friendship that will continue throughout their lives.

The Way of Kings: Book One of The Stormlight Archive

Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor.

The Lost Heir: The Gryphon Chronicles, Book 1

Jake is a scrappy orphaned pickpocket living by his wits on the streets of Victorian London. Lately he's started seeing ghosts, and discovers he can move solid objects with his mind! He has no idea why. Next thing he knows, a Sinister Gentleman and his minions come hunting him. On the run for his life, Jake is plunged headlong into a mysterious world full of magic and deadly peril. A world that holds the secret to who he really is: the long-lost heir of an aristocratic family - with magical powers!

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, Book 1

Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest alchemist of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty. The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives, but only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

WARP Book 1: The Reluctant Assassin

Riley, a teen orphan boy living in Victorian London, has had the misfortune of being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, an illusionist who has fallen on difficult times and now uses his unique conjuring skills to gain access to victims' dwellings. On one such escapade, Garrick brings his reluctant apprentice along and urges him to commit his first killing. Riley is saved from having to commit the grisly act when the intended victim turns out to be a scientist from the future, part of the FBI's Witness Anonymous Relocation Program (WARP). Riley is unwittingly transported via wormhole to modern-day London, followed closely by Garrick.

Publisher's Summary

Three years after the events of The Golem's Eye, the young magician Nathaniel is an established member of the British Government.

But he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars are going badly and Britain's enemies are mounting attacks close to London.

Increasingly distracted, he is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever: the long-suffering djinni is growing weak from too much time in this world, and his patience is at an end. Meanwhile, undercover in London, Kitty has been stealthily completing her research into magic and Bartimaeus' past. She hopes to break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans, but will she be able to get anyone to listen?

Before any of these problems can be resolved, disaster strikes London from an unexpected source, and the destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathanial, and Kitty are thrown together once more. They have to face treacherous magicians, a long-fermented conspiracy, and an enemy from 'The Other Place' that threatens London and the world. Worst of all, they must somehow cope with each other.

Wow, what an ending! It was better than I expected! I am a 39 year old male that likes Neil Gaiman type books along with Dean Koontz and Stephen King, but this series was incredible and I am now a huge fan! Good from 9-109 years of age!

Bartimaeus is back yet again and with a wit as sharp as ever. The personality of the characters in the story are further developed and by the time the story is over you truely feel a bond between yourself and the characters. With that, the emotional ending and the fantastic reading done by Simon Jones provide for a marvelous finish to a spectacular story.

In a word- enthralling. Absolutely enthralling. Despite my best efforts to the contrary, I was pulled in to and wrapped up in the story. Better by far than its predecessors, this last book in the trilogy is an exceptionally well-crafted book. Masterfully contrived, complimented by an equally skilled narrator, this is one of the most enjoyable books I have had the pleasure to listen to.

I chose to listen to this trilogy for a Young Adult Literature class in my program of study. What a great way to log 45 hours of audio-listening pleasure! Simon Jones absolutely nails each character - Bartimaeus, most magnificently. I had no idea going into it that this wise-cracking demon would win my heart so easily. At times the story gets bogged in details, and I could never really tell what time period in which it took place, but the third book wrapped everything up nicely with a somewhat startling ending. I was truly sad when it was over.

Three years have passed since the events of The Golem's Eye. The young magician Nathaniel, AKA John Mandrake, is now an established member of the British government. Things have not been going well for Britain in that time, however. Faring badly in several foreign wars and plagued by unrest from within, the country is already on the verge of flying apart. Things only get worse, however, with the surfacing of a surprising threat dating even back to the events of Amulet of Samarkand. Once again Nathaniel is forced to call upon the Djinni Bartimaeus, already weakened from too much time spent on Earth and Nathaniel's generally ill treatment of him. Aided now by Kitty Jones, the young resistance member who aided Nathaniel in stopping the GOlem three years before and was believed dead since tat time, the two must work to unravel a seemingly insurmountable plot. Onthe one hand a few rogue magicians seek to topple the government and eestablish it with themselves at the top, while a few of the most powerful spirits from the Other Place seek to punish humanity for misusing their powers.
All in all an extremely rivetting book with a shocking climax. As usual, narrator Simon Jones is in perfect form and I look forward to getting my paws on the fourth volume in this series once finances permit me to renew my Audible membership.

I'm (more or less) an adult, but I love certain novels addressed primarily to children. This is a wonderful, complex, story with tremendous narrative, historical and moral ambition. All characters become increasingly compelling as the story moves forward, and your interest in the Ptolemy backstory grows almost urgent. It's hardwork though, and I'd guess children would need their parents to listen with them to judge when to break off for awhile-and to help explain with the historical aspects of the story.

Perhaps most important in an audio version, Simon Jones is a truly great reader. He gives all characters a definite personality without trying to intrude on the author's characterization. His pace and timing are truly wonderful. This would be a great road trip book for parents with clever little brats.

This trilogy has become one of my favorites! I loved the audiobooks and the narrator. I don't think anyone could have done Bartimaeus's personality better. I will say that the end of this series absolutly broke my heart! Well worth the money!

This is a super ending to a great trilogy. I found these books funny, scary, and very well written and read. I can't think of any series my wife, kids, and myself have ever liked better. I found all three books to be wonderful. Ptolemy's Gate ended this series completely to my satisfaction. I am only sad its over.....but am looking forward to more work from this author.

When I first downloaded this book, it was for the kids, but after the first few chapters, I found this trilogy delightful. Colorful characters - (Bartimaeus is my favorite) good story. Good story for family road trips - I couldn't help laughing. This one is great for when you need a break from the more intense, sometimes dark fantasy stories. Listen to the whole series, you will find yourself chuckling.

This was a horrible ending to a story that I have given 5 stars to up till the last chapter of the last book. I can't believe that Mr. Stroud put us through this whole suspenseful trilogy to cut the story off the way he did.
The Kitty, Nathaniel, Bartemaus relationship needed far more developement. It ended as if the writer got tired of typing and needed a quick end. We're left wondering why he lead us in certain directions of thought when those directions were to never happen.
There's a difference between a true English tragedy and a hack ending. It seems obvious that he is lining us up for another trilogy, but Mr. Stroud should have left a clean ending to this trilogy if he is really intending it to be a trilogy... Perhaps leave one hanging thread for a future set of books, but not a thousand.
The last chapter left me wondering, "What was the whole point here?" and "Why have us follow someone's many adventures, thoughts and feelings for THREE WHOLE BOOKS to leave their story cut short?" There seems to be no point in continuing another trilogy.
On a positive note, I LOVE the portayal of Bartemaus by this narrator. The witty English sarcasm of Bartemaus really plays off in the narration.